A hard durable transparent antifouling coating prepared by ZrO₂ and polysiloxane

Antifouling coatings face some critical challenges toward applications, particularly poor mechanical properties, complex or expensive fabrication and non-transparency. This work reports a transparent fluorine-free antifouling coating with robust mechanical properties. Water and salt, alkali and acid solutions can slide off the coating surface (water contact angle > 105°) and remove dirt. The coating endows the substrate with remarkable protection against exposure to harsh chemical conditions, mechanical robustness against extensive abrasion and high hardness (6H–9H). The characteristics of this coating are derived from heavily cross-linking branched (3-aminopropyl)triethoxysilane with zirconium dioxide (ZrO₂) ceramic nanoparticles by using a curing agent.